Adjustable presser-foot for cloth-cutting machines.



H. A. MEYER.

ADJUSTABLE PRESSEB FOOT FOB CLOTH CUTTING momma.

APPLICATION TILED MAR. 20, 1909.

Patented July 6, 1909.

ZSHEETB-BHEE'I 1.

M W w H. A. MEYER.

ADJUSTABLE PRESSER FOOT FOR CLOTH CUTTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION 11mm 11.43.20, 1909.

926,81 5. I Patented July 6, 1909.

2 SILEETS-SHEET 2.

'h reb was he f l ow I UNITED ii HENRY A. MEYER, .OFUINGINNATI, onro, As

a B. o wow ELE T U m me ts CQMPANY,QF "CINCINNATI, OHIO, A COBPOBATIDNOE OHIO.

wmusw swam-mem s no srsive spedfloation gf Letters Patent:-

' a pueaa n med Inch no, 1900. 8eria11i'o.484,819. v

To all whom it may coacem:

Be it known that I, HENnv A. Marita, a citizen of the Unlted States, residing at Cin,-

cinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Adjustable Pressere r lothti g Mac n a d I do to be a full,

ea and xas 'd c i t n a the ven n, such'as will enable ot 'ers skilled in the art to whl h it spp r sinst ake a d se th smeo a a This invention relates to a class of machines used for cutting textile-fabrics and other materials, andmore particularly mash s Q; timel ef rr d t wh a re;

ciprocat n'g kmfe is employed to cut a number'pr' series of su erposed layers of fabric in accordance wit a pattern or markings upon the uppermost la er of fabric, the cutt ng being e acted by t e reciprocating knife as the machine is moved b0 11y and guided over the surface of a table or other support upon which the fabric is placed.

The object of my present invention is to provide an im roved and more efiicient resser-foot, sun as used in the class of machines referred to, arranged directly in front of the knife, so as to bear down upon the layers of fabric as the machine is moved and guided along the lines upon'which the cloth is to be cut, and ada ted to avoid the liability of accidental adjustment, by failure of the securing means ordinarily employed to perform the desired function.

" Various contrivances have heretofore been employed for clam ing the resser-foot to the standards of f ric cutting machines, a

common method or means being a screw or.

screws for securing the resser-foot at different elevations, but in practice it has been found that, on account of the vibrations and strain due to the reciprocatory movement of the knife, and the opposing pressures, or in other words, the pressure due to the cutting of the fabric on the downward move-- lower end of a vertically adjustable rack or toothed bar which is engaged bythe pinion for effecting the desired ad ustment,-but this method is ob'ectionable in practice, because the teeth of t e rack and pinion soon become clogged with dust, lint,',etc., and the arran emen is too bulky, necessarily interfering with the sight of the markin My invention overcomes t e ob'ectionable features of the several devices a ove mentioned, and instead of the resser-foot being liable to come loose, byreason of the vibrations of the machine, it become even more securely fixed, owing to a constant spring pressure exerted on a trigger-like locking device having a serrated or corrugatedsurface engaging the rod or bar which carries the presser-foot. My improved de vice is also adapted to be readily adjusted without requiring the operator to'release his hold upon the machine, by merely exerting the pressure of a finger on the trigger which controls'the positionof the resser-foot bar" such o eration being performed if desired while t e machine isin operation.

In the accompanying drawings, which are to be taken as a part of this specification, I have illustrated my present im rovement applied to a cloth-cutting machine having a vertically movable knife to which a reciprocatory movement is imparted by an electric motor mounted on the machine. The imrovement, however, is applicable to other ypes of machines, whether electrically actuated or otherwise, but is s ecially useful in connection with the ty e oi machine shown,

In said drawings, igure 1 represents a perspective view in dotted lines of a cloth cutting machine with a reciprocating knife, having my I improved resser-foot applied thereto, the latter being shown in full lines; Fig. 2 is a side view, on an enlarged scale, of a portion of the machine standard with my improved adjustable resser-foot applied thereto, illustrating the and of the operator ewte I BQW Q- I on the fabric.

about to efiect an adjustment of the presser- A may denote an electrically operated or other type of fabric cutting machinehaving my improved presser-foot thereon,-sa1d machine having a standard B, and a knife C, operativeiy connected with the motor for imarting a reciprocatory movement to the. linife. The standard B is supported in an upright osition upon a foot-plate D and is provide with a handle E by which themachine is moved bodil Y over the table, the foot-plate or base I) eing arranged underneath the lowermost layer of fabric so as to lift the entire body of fabric up into position to be cut by the knife. Near and preferably below the handle E is a bracket or support F,

i which may be bolted or otherwise secured to said standard, and has at one end a vertically dis osed socket f in which is fitted a vertical y movable bar G carrying a foot-plate g at its lower end. The bar G is preferably rectangular in cross-section and may be channeled at one side, as shown, and has smooth surfaces adapting it to slide freely up and down within the correspondingly smooth bore of the socket f. When the machine is in use the presser-foot bears down upon the layers of fabric'and in order that it may be adjusted and fixed at any desired elevation, as re uiredfrom time to time in cutting different t icknesses of fabric, or a greater or less number of layers, a locking device is secured upon the bracket F, and adapted to operate in such manner that the operator may easily and quickly release and adjust the presserfoot while the machine is either moving or stationary. This locking device may consist of a trigger-like lever or dog I-I, arranged beside and parallel with the bracket F, and having a lug h fitted in a slot extendin longitudinally of said bracket, the lug h being pivoted on a bolt or rivet passing throu h apertures in the bifurcated arms of t e bracket formed by the slot therein. The dog H has at one end a projection or tooth h adapted to engage the vertically movable resser-foot bar G and hold the same in a med position. Said dog is preferably made of hardened steel and the tooth it being highly tempered and having preferably a serrated or corrugated surface h for engagement with the presser-foot bar, will in a measure take into or slightly indent said bar sufliciently to adapt the Presser-foot to withstand the severe strains to which it is subjected and avoid liability to accidental adjustment. The longer arm I)? of the (log or lever H is pressed outwardly by a suitable spring that may be interposed between said arm and the bracket or support F; a coiled spring I being shown, having its 0 posite ends seated in recesses i formed in t 1e confronting surfaces' of the bracket and longer arm k of the lever, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. By this arrangement the spring has a constant tendency to force the tooth h more tightly against the resser-foot bar and the grip of the tooth is tightened by the vibrations of the machine.

I thus provide a very simple, strong, durable and efficient adj ustablepresser-foot with a locking device, consisting of few parts that may be easily assembled and attached to any ordinary machine standard, carrying a reciprocating-knife said device enabling'the operator to easily and quickly raise or lower the presser-foot, with provision for great nicety of adjustment, without requiring any set screw or bolt to be loosened, and again tightened, with consequent trouble and loss of time due to the sto page of the machine the operator in following the pattern or" markings upon the cloth that is being out It also enables the operator, without releasing his hold upon the machine, to readily adjust the prosser-foot, by pressing his forefinger against the long arm of the ivoted lever or dog, so as to release and al ow the resser-foot to descend by gravity, or to be raised by pressure of the resser-foot upon the underlying layers of 0 0th, and the instant the dog is released, the pressor-foot will be again locked in the desired position.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In a fabric cutting machine, an adjustable presser-foot and means for securing the same at different elevations, comprising a suitable holder and guide on the machine standard a rod or bar carrying a presser-foot and vertically movable in said guide, a do hinged beside said holder having a toothed end engaging said bar, and means for forcing said tooth into engagement with said bar adapted to yield to opposing pressure and release the bar.

2. In a fabric cutting machine, an adjust able resser-foot and means for securing the same at different elevations, comprising a bracket adapted to be secured to the machine standard and having a vertically disposed socket or guide projecting in front of the standard, a resser-foot bar fitted in said socket, a dog pivoted at one side of said bracket and having a tooth at one end, and a spring operating to force said tooth into contact with said resser-foot bar.

3. An adjustable presser-foot bar and means for holding the same in alinement with the reciprocating knife of a fabric cutting machine, a pivoted dog beside said holding means having a tooth engaging said bar,

; and means for forcingsaid tooth into engagement with said bar; said tooth having a serrated surface for contact with the bar.

4. In combination with the machine standard, a bracket thereon having a slot therein and a socket at the end of the slot,

5. An adjustable resser-foot for fabric cutting machines comprising a vertically movable bar carrying a resser-foot, a supporting plate having a lever pivoted thereto anda socket on said support in which said bar is fitted, said lever having at the end of one arm a tooth engaging said bar, and a spring for holdin saidtooth in engagement with said vertica y movable bar.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

HENRYA. MEYER.

Witnesses: 1

C. H. BRrr'roN, O. J. RUBERG. 

